Latest research on the brain and behavioral science of what makes people make the decision to buy.

1. The Brain Science
Of Buying
Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D.
Aka “The Brain Lady”
@thebrainlady
susan@theteamw.com

2. People buy when they feel
confident of their decision.
1
Andrea Insabato, Mario Pannunzi, Edmund T. Rolls, Gustavo Deco. Confidence-Related Decision
Making. Journal of Neurophysiology,1 July 2010 Vol. 104 no. 1, 539-547 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01068.2009

3. This is an unconscious process that
can result in a single neuron firing.
1
Adam Kepecs, Naoshige Uchida, Hatim A. Zariwala1& Zachary F. Mainen. Neural correlates,
computation and behavioural impact of decision confidence
Nature 455, 227-231 (11 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07200

4. The only thing that matters is getting
the person to feel confident enough
that the “buying neuron” fires.
1

5. Dopamine is released when
people anticipate, not when they
get the reward.
2

6. 2
Robert Sapolsky, Professor of Biology and Neurology, Stanford, University.

7. Robert Sapolsky: http://www.wired.com/2011/07/sapolsky-on-dopamine-not-about-pleasure-but-its-anticipation/
2

8. Don’t be afraid to make people wait.
Build up that state of excited
anticipation. But make sure you
deliver.
2

9. Most decisions are made
unconsciously.
3

10. John-Dylan Haynes, a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany
Chun Siong Soon, Marcel Brass, Hans-Jochen Heinze & John-Dylan Haynes. Unconscious determinants of free decisions in the
human brain. Nature Neuroscience April 13th, 2008.
Researchers could predict what choice
people would make 7-10 seconds before
they themselves were even aware of having
made a decision.
3

11. Don’t rely on what people say.
3

12. Most buying decisions involve
emotions and feelings, not
just logic and reasoning.
4

13. If you can’t feel emotions then
you can’t make decisions
thanks to the ventro-medial
pre-frontal cortex (vmPFC)
4
Bechara A, Tranel D, Damasio H (2000) Characterization of the decision-making deficit of patients
with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions. Brain 123:2189–2202.

14. What is brand loyalty? When
people feel loyal to a brand
the decision to buy is easy.
4

15. Make them feel (or they won’t
decide to buy).
4

16. People make EITHER a goal-
directed value buying decision
OR they buy from habit. But not
both.
5

17. Goal-directed/value decisions are
made in the orbitofrontal cortex
(OFC). Habit takes over when the
OFC is quiet.
5
Christina M. Gremel, et, al, Endocannabinoid Modulation of Orbitostriatal Circuits Gates Habit
Formation. Neuron May 2016.

18. You can turn on the orbitofrontal
circuit with light pulses.
5
Christina M. Gremel, et, al, Endocannabinoid Modulation of Orbitostriatal Circuits Gates Habit
Formation. Neuron May 2016.

19. Do you know whether your
product/service is goal-directed
or habitual?
5

20. 1. People buy when they feel confident of their decision.
2. Dopamine is released when people anticipate, not
when they get the reward.
3. Most decisions are made unconsciously.
4. Most buying decisions involve emotions and feelings,
not just logic and reasoning.
5. People make EITHER a goal-directed value buying
decision OR they buy from habit. But not both.
The Brain Science of Buying

22. humantech.theteamw.com

23. THANK YOU!
The Team W, Inc.
@thebrainlady
847-909-5946
www.theteamw.com
info@theteamw.com